A Guide to Annar

Valhalla

In his spare time in his office down in Valhalla, the current Medium, Odin, has cobbled together an ongoing list of different Magical crafts.

Blaze: Those who are Blazes influence their planes through their ability to manipulate fire. Forest fires, for example, are one of the many jobs that Blazes oversee.

Creator: One of the rarest Magical crafts, a Creator has the ability to build up and destroy civilizations (i.e. Atlantis) and celestial objects (i.e. stars, planets, etc…) via Council decree, although they are often used to create much smaller, less important objects, such as the development and closing of portals. Considered extremely valuable and important, Creators are automatically assigned to the Council upon birth and work with Guard during much of their tenure. There will only ever be, at the most, two Creators in existence at the same time, and even then, the overlapping time is small. There are three things a Creator cannot make, however: money, food, and water.

Cyclone: A sub-specialty, Cyclones are like Elementals except they only deal with tornadoes, hurricanes, waterspouts, dust devils, and typhoons. A Cyclone can create any of these weather patterns at any time and are responsible for their creation on all the different planes.

Dreamer: A nuanced craft that allows its user to infiltrate a person’s mind asleep or awake, causing them to see and believe things that may not necessarily be true. Similar to an Emotional, yet rather than causing an actual feeling, a Dreamer alters the reality of the mind. Dreamers are also used to help manipulate Magical minds, as dictated by Council decree.

Electric: Wielders can manipulate electricity. Electrics have been responsible for a number of societal advances, especially in terms of large-scale civilization betterments. Electrics do not, however, have the ability to create electricity via lightning. An Elemental would be needed for that.

Elemental: Those who possess this craft are responsible for the manipulation of weather. Elementals are accountable for controlling the weather patterns on their respective planes, with the exceptions of any kind of cyclones. They are also responsible for phenomena such as El Niño, La Niña, and droughts.

Emotional:  Those who have this craft are capable of making anyone feel anything they want, whenever they want. Emotionals can pick out the smallest, most nuanced feelings in every single person within their vicinity and manipulate it. They are responsible for both large scale movements, such as uprisings and rebellions, to small scale occurrences, such as relationships or crimes of passion. Anything a person can feel can be manipulated by an Emotional.

Intellectual: An Intellectual is responsible for overseeing scientific advancements on the different planes. Due to the nature of this craft, there usually is a team of Intellectuals assigned for every plane.

Joy: Similar to an Emotional but more nuanced, a Joy is accountable for fostering and maintaining hope within society. Joys tend to be very bubbly and gregarious.

Librarian: Somewhat similar to both an Intellectual and a Storyteller, Librarians serve to inspire and influence authors and literature. Karnach Librarians are responsible for ensuring Council members have the research they need for their crafts.

Medium: This person enables fellow Magicals to go through Ascension. There are typically only one to two Mediums in existence at any given time. Mediums live below Annar and rarely, if ever, go above ground.

Mover: Those with this craft have the ability to manipulate the time/space continuum. Movers are fairly rare, and tend to work mostly on the Guard or for the Medium.

Muse: Responsible for manipulating the creative courses the arts will take in society, most Muses have the ability to inspire the artists they “sponser” or “influence” to both great talent and heights as well as madness. Many Muses become intimately involved with their subjects.

Nymph: Those who are Nymphs are responsible for the cultivation and development of all botanical elements found of the different planes. Nymphs are not only accountable for creating new strains of plants and successful agriculture in their regions, but they also oversee the extinction of other plants. Nymphs have, as one can predict, very green thumbs.

Quake: Quakes have an inherent knowledge of the tectonic plates and fault lines on the planes they’re assigned to as they are responsible for setting off earthquakes on all the worlds. Quakes use their fists to create tremors – the harder they strike, the larger the earthquake.

Seer: A Seer has the ability to detect a Magical’s specialty and placement at their birth. Later in life, a Seer can help Magicals understand the paths they are on, their crafts, and their relationships (i.e. whether or not they have a Connection). Seers often serve as the psychologists of the Magical worlds.

Shaman: This craft serves a dual purpose: healing and disease. Shamans are responsible for developing, cultivating, and releasing all viruses and diseases within the societies they oversee. They are also accountable for overseeing the development and advancement of medical sciences over the millennia. Shamans serve as medical experts (i.e. doctors) in Annar and can heal or fix any kind of ailment that affects a body.

Smith: Magicals who have this craft can manipulate metals. Smiths are able to mine metal, mold it, and create objects with it. Smiths have helped create a number of important advancements within their civilizations, including weapons and transportation.

Storyteller: These are the Magical record keepers. As precious few Magical histories are written down, this craft is inherently passed down through the generations. A Storyteller can, at any time, recite any part of Magical history. Due to the sensitive nature of their craft, Storytellers typically do not leave Annar.

Tide: Tides have the ability to manipulate water. Typically, Tides oversee all types of natural bodies of water on their assigned planes, including streams, rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans. Tides have the ability to shifts river patterns as well as ocean tides and currents.

Volcanic: Volcanics are responsible for overseeing and maintaining all volcanic activities on their assigned planes. Furthermore, Volcanics are often tasked with creating new land masses as well as destroying others.

 

Karnach

A glossary of the different beings found within both Magical and non-Magical worlds:

Dwarves (singular–Dwarf): Dwarves are considered to be the most technologically advanced. Fairly short in stature, typically ranging from 4 to 5 ½ feet, Dwarves tend to have pronounced noses and wiry hair. Due to similar features, Magical Dwarves can occasionally be found residing on both the Elven and Human planes. All Magical Dwarves have an military or land feature based surnames.

Elves (singular–Elf): Elves live on the Elven plane. Typically tall (5 ½ to 7 feet) and graceful with slightly slanted eyes of unique colors (violet being one of the most prominent), Elves are widely known for their arts. A number of Magical Elves can be found living on the Human plane due to fairly similar features. All Magical Elves have botantical surnames.

Faeries: Faeries typically live on the Faerie plane, although groups (both Magical and non) can be found living on all planes. Small in stature (most Faeries range from 8 – 15 inches in height) but typically sharp on wit, Faeries tend to have slightly pointed ears and wings. Magical Faeries have surnames that have something found in nature.

Goblins: Goblins live almost exclusively on the Goblin plane—the only exception are those who live in Annar. Goblins tend to be statuesque (ranging from 5 to 6 ½ feet) and fairly regal in appearance. Their green skin coloring can vary between regions on the plane and with different subgroups within the race. Goblins are normally stereotyped to be the most no-nonsense of the different races. All Goblin surnames have weather elements to them.

Gnomes: Gnomes are the second smallest in stature next to the Faeries. Ranging between 2 and 4 feet tall, Gnomes easily blend into the other planes by living in forests. Many gnomes have very delicate appearing features; roughly sixty percent of the race are blond despite varying skin color tones. All Gnome surnames have “-ssonn” or “-dottirr” at the end of them.

Humans: Humans live on the Human plane, although there is a good number found on the Elven plane, as well. Typically ranging between 4 ½ and 6 ½ feet tall, Humans tend to be the most varied in appearance of all the races. All Magical Humans have a color variation for a surname.
Magicals: A secret race of people from all six different planes. They are responsible for influencing the course of events within their worlds and beyond. Magicals have been around since the beginning of time, charting courses for the civilizations they populate. All of the major events which have occurred over the history of the worlds can be traced back to Magicals. They instigate the cause of events both natural and societal. The effect is what society and the people within choose to do with it once it’s begun.

Non-Magical/non(s): Any member of any of the six races that is not a Magical.

 

The Library

Here are definitions for some of the more common words, places and phrases found in Magical society:

Annar: The seventh plane of existence. A city-state, Annar serves as the home base for the Magical population. All six races (Dwarf, Elf, Faerie, Goblin, Gnome, and Human) live and work in Annar, as well as a small percentage of nons for work purposes (once they’ve gone through a blood oath ceremony which binds them to secrecy). The Council is based in Annar, as is the University all Magicals are required to go to.

Ascension: All Magicals, at the age of 18, Ascend, or gain all of their powers. Magicals are born with roughly fifteen percent of their powers; through Ascension, they gain the rest. Ascension occurs in a secret location a half mile below Annar with the help of a Medium. Every Magical goes through Ascension differently.

Blood oath: All beings who go to Annar, both Magical and non-Magical, are required on their first visit to go through a blood oath ceremony. A vial of blood is collected from each person and then stored in the vaults beneath Karnach. The oath given at the ceremony is binding as prohibits any revelation of Annar and/or its inhabitants to any non-Magicals.

Connection: Rare in the Magical worlds, a Connection is a bond created at birth between two individuals meant to be soul mates. Connections are permanent and very strong. They are coveted by many who want to be assured of true love. Connections who find each other tend to become powerful Magical pairs who work in tandem with their crafts.

The Council: A group of highly powerful, important Magicals that serve to dictate what happens on the six planes of existence. Council membership is dictated at birth by a Seer and cannot be refused. There is at least one representative for each Magical craft on the Council; in some instances, there is a representative from each race for each craft. Council members are revered by all Magicals. Most Council members live in Annar, although some commute back and forth between their home planes and Annar. Their seat of power is in Karnach.

The Guard: A group of highly powerful, important Magicals that serve as both offensive and defensive protectors of their kind. The Guard is akin to a cross between a police and military force. It is often considered to be a sibling of the Council and highly close knit. There are several Guard who are both Guard and Council.

Karnach: A rotunda reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome, Karnach is the seat of power for the Council in Annar, the seventh plane of existence. Every Council member has an office in Karnach. Within the structure, there is an assembly room for Council meetings, plus museum rooms featuring art from all the planes as well as the main Library.

Planes of existence: There are seven planes of existence –Dwarven, Elven, Faerie, Goblin, Gnomish, Human, and Magical (also known as Annar). These planes are, for the most part, unknown to each other (i.e. each plane’s inhabitants believe it is the only plane of existence) with the exception of Annar, which is more of a city-state than a world. All planes are similar in that they have continents which have deserts, mountains, plains, glaciers, rain forests, lakes, and oceans along with major and minor civilizations. Magicals can move between the planes through portals connected to the Transit Station in Annar.

Portal(s): Every plane has a number of portals, or doorways, that Magicals use to travel in between their plane and Annar. Portals can be found areas ranging from caves to buildings; all are secret and heavily protected from detection from non-Magicals. Portals can only be activated and accessed by Magicals who have gone through a blood oath ceremony in Annar. All portals lead to Annar’s Transit Station, but Magicals can move between planes by going from one portal to another within a matter of minutes in the Station.

Races: There are six different races in the worlds – Dwarven, Elven, Faerie, Goblin, Gnomish, and Human. Magicals can come from any and all of these races. Most crafts will have at least one representative from each race, although there are exceptions. Most races live on their respective planes of existence, although there are examples (such as Faeries) who can be found on other planes.

Shift: When a Magical experiences a highly important event in their life, there will be a shift. Shifts are like earthquakes, only no non-Magical can sense them. Depending on the importance of the event, a shift can be minor and felt only by the Magical projecting it or major enough that all the Magicals in a city, state, region, or continent can feel it.

Surge/Surging: All Magicals can surge, or enter into another being’s mind, both Magical and non-Magical. Surging allows a Magical to access thoughts, memories, and the feelings associated with them. Non-Magicals are not aware when they are surged upon; Magicals, however, can always feel the presence of another Magical in their mind. It is considered bad manners to surge with another Magical without permission.

Transit Station: Located in Annar, the Transit Station is high-tech facility that houses all of the portals to the different planes of existence. Nearly thirty stories high, the Transit station is, in many ways, similar to an airport. However, unlike an actual airport, there are never delays or cancellations. Portals are only closed by a Creator, and only then by Council decree.

University: Every Magical, once Ascended, is required to attend the University of Annar for two years of specialized classes to help hone their crafts. While there are professors and assignments, the U, as it’s commonly known amongst Magicals, does not offer grades or a graduation. Curriculum is tailored specifically to a Magical’s craft and how best to build proficiency. After two years at the U, Magicals then go through an internship year with a more seasoned Magical in their field.